Wetangula: A man without a home

Moses Wetangula, the tenure of Party Leader in the Forum for Restoration of Democracy – Kenya (FORD-Kenya) is now over. After ten years in-charge, the gazette today is now making it official. Even after the outcry and battle cry for his restoration of the role in the end of May 2020. It has been to no avail and its now official.

Wetangula, the former NASA Co-Principal and the former Minority Leader in the Senate is a man without a home. His a backbencher in some ways. A lost soul trying to find his way. Moses got support of Musalia Mudavadi, but that doesn’t help him. It seems that he got no helping hands or general control to assess the situation itself.

His fall started on the dethroning in October 2018, as his lost the title and leader role in the Senate. That was the first proof that he wasn’t untouchable and had enough friends. This was given to James Orengo, as he represented the biggest opposition party.

Since, then its been the gold scandal and shown that Wetangula haven’t had friends as he couldn’t find a way or relevance. As he wasn’t loyal to the National Super Alliance, neither to the Presidential Handshake. Therefore, neither Jubilee nor ODM needed him.

Wetangula can try to join Amani National Congress. That might boost the ANC a little bit, but not by much. Not like Moses will lead them across to Canaan. He could never do that alone before and that will not change now. Mudavadi needs friends too. That’s why this will be his new home. Unless, Ruto finds some shelter for him.

Moses made this road himself. He went out with full bravado and showed that he had no support. Neither in his own camp or on the outside. He has Mudavadi, but he could only come with with a hardcore statement. Musalia couldn’t change the results nor the outcome. That was sealed. It just took a few days and now its done.

Wetangula is homeless in a way. He is a senator, but not a big-man. It seems like he doesn’t have the needed connections nor political savvy to figure things out. That’s why this fall so brutal. He talked of foot-soldiers, but they didn’t show up for either. That why this so hopeless.

If we can learn anything from this. Never ever take things for granted, your position, your titles and your comrades. Always work and find your ways. Since, if you don’t, you can end up like Wetangula and be without a home.

I wonder, who will let him in and give him space.

Wetangula needs it …

We just have to wonder what’s next up for him. Clearly he needs a message, a vision and a long-con. Because, all his short-cons since the 2017 elections has failed him. Peace.

Opinion: The Tanga Tanga is losing influence – One-By-One

If Deputy President William Ruto think he sways influence or has any initial power. He should look over his shoulder. As one-by-one his allies are losing their titles and their roles to play in the National Assembly. Today was the third major role in the National Assembly plus the nominated Members of Parliament who was suspended recently.

That Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and Senator Susan Kihika lost their titles in the Senate earlier in this month. Today, the Deputy Speaker of the Senate Kindiki Kithure was impeached. Meaning all the allies of Ruto has been clipped and taken out in the Senate. This is a sign of loss of importance and in the shadow.

It is easy to see why this is happening, as the dynasties are working together. Odinga is getting yet another honorary role in a Economic Recovery Council coinciding with the Building Bridges Initiative. So, Kenyatta is securing all angles and showing his commitment to his cause. Regaining control, but without the Hustler Nation or the Tanga Tanga.

This is just very weird that KANU is revived. Talks of getting Isaac Rutto and his CCM into the coalition, also the talks of unification with Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka and his WDM. All of them just coming together and securing their futures. The only one, which is official is the KANU-Jubilee.

The deal and agreement that is pushing away Ruto and his men. The men who swore loyalty to him is suddenly vanishing. Just like the takeover of opposition from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Raila Odinga when he did the Handshake. Suddenly, Sen. Moses Wetangula was kicked out and Sen. James Orengo took his place.

What is just striking is the new tandem of Kenyatta, Moi and Odinga. All of them playing their parts, shading across the chambers and cleaning the slate. The reality is that this is all knives out and taking out the ones whose undeserving their place. Impeaching and making heads-roll. The limelight and the spotlight is now on the ones whose in favour of the DP. They are falling like flies.

This is all just a house of cards. Piece by piece. All things are falling apart. What’s ironic is that this are the supposed friends and allies of the President. These are the supposed mates in the party and the ones his serving together. However, his taking them apart and making them to silent backbenchers. While the supposed opposition are voting in favour of the government. That’s shows how messed up this is and what games that are played.

Because, here is a wing of the government in turn becoming opposition without any inauguration or party. They are in-government, but really out of government. They are becoming pseudo-government like Odinga. Raila picked that place in the mix, but not officially. While Ruto’s men are kicking and screaming out of the offices. When they were supposed to be the Presidents Men. Which they are apparently not.

That’s why yet another one lost his place. No matter what character he has or what education he has. He was on the wrong and shown loyalty to the wrong man. This minute and this point of time, he was a part of the Tanga Tanga. A piece which is toxic and which isn’t as powerful as the DP says. His losing it. Seat after Seat, title after title. The tables are turning, the dwindling power is evident.

The losses are piling up. Ruto needs to find a solution and quickly. Before, the dynasties combined with the ODM has swallowed the whole thing. They are just shuffling him away like old snow. Peace.

Sen. James Orengo Statement on COVID-19 (07.04.2020)

The simple reason for the rising prices of UNGA!

If you wonder why suddenly the prices are running high for the UNGA again in Kenya. That is because the state has added taxes, they are trying to collect more money again. This is happening because its months since the elections and the subsidized UNGA is history. Therefore, expect rising prices, the maize and milk cartels want their profits. If they happen to in the pocket of the government at the same time. Is just convenient, even some of the companies earning on the sky-rocketing prices is the President himself and his own companies. I am sure the DP also owns connected businesses that could eat of the this plate too. While the ordinary and poor population will struggle to have ends meet as the government are taxing them even more.

Added Taxes:

“Poor households would be more exposed in the amendments with sweeping implications on many sectors, as the State seeks to raise Sh1.75 trillion in the next financial year. Most basic commodities are not taxed to cushion the poor, but the changes that will be proposed in the national budget will end that. “We are looking at exemptions on several products that are widely consumed, but not on VAT such as milk, sugar, maize flour, wheat flour…,” said Benson Korongo, a commissioner of Kenya Revenue Authority” (Michira, 2018).

Prediction of the reaction to the taxes:

“Milk and cream, not concentrated nor containing added sugar or other sweetening matter” (…) “Suppliers of the affected supplies will not be able to claim any input tax incurred in making of such supplies. This cost will be borne by the final consumers. Reverting to exemption of these basic commodities a year later after they had been zero-rated will lead to an increase in their prices rendering them less affordable to the ordinary Citizens” (…) “The supply of maize (corn) flour, ordinary bread and cassava flour, wheat or meslin flour and maize flour containing cassava flour by more than 10% in weight” (…) “Reverting to exemption of these basic commodities a year later after they had been zero-rated will lead to an increase in their prices rendering them less affordable to ordinary Citizens” (Ey Global Tax Alert Library, 2018)

It is special when Ernest & Young (EY) whose is known for their advice for potential investors and people who plans for invest in a republic. They have usual advice, which shows the potential and the grips of reality. Their analysis from April are now coming in effect in the end of May, as the local papers like Standard write about it now. But they say it might happen in July.

The state has favorably subsidized it and also imported on its own, that might happen again. But the added tax will hit the public. Make the staple food more expensive, because of added taxes. The shops, the importers, the distribution companies will not take the hit. The hit is always ending up at the consumer, the buyer and not the ones who produce, distribute and sells. That is known and the way we play. Seriously, when the state plans with these taxes to earn over a trillion shillings, nearly two, means they are anticipating selling enough of the needed goods and services connected with the new taxes to actually be sold.

So the prices on the staple is rising, because the Jubilee Government, the President and his party is doing it. This is their orders and their will, it is not the international market or a drought, it is initial planning and what the state does to get more revenue.

Jubilee whose are eating all of the state, needs more revenue to make another NYS Scandal, take more funds from the likes of NHIF and inappropriately use unaccounted funds in the various government bodies. Peace.

Reference:

EY Global Tax Alert Library – ‘Kenya issues Tax Amendment Bill, 2018’ (April 2018)

Michira, Moses – ‘Red alert: Why the cost of food will go up in july’ (16.05.2018)

Link: https://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2001280557/why-unga-prices-are-about-to-go-up

Cambridge Analytica Scandal: Jon Snow letter to Mark Zuckerberg (22.03.2018)

Kenya: Journalists for Justice – “Lies, confusion and psychological warfare are Cambridge Analytica’s tools of trade” (21.03.2018)

Opinion: There is a need for a investigation in the acts of Cambridge Analytica in Kenya!

It is weird, it is strange, but also very clear why President Uhuru Kenyatta, why Deputy President William Ruto and all of the political elite, and the Jubilee Party don’t want to touch the affiliate Cambridge Analytica. As the world is grasping with the toils and the states are asking for subpoena information and oral evidence from Cambridge Analytica and Facebook. The Kenyan Government are walking around like nothing happen. Not like the lightning stroke down in 2013 and 2017, but just letting it go like spilled milk.

While other governments are looking into the madness, into the big-date breaches, where the Cambridge Analytica used their manpower and expertise to take private information from users of Facebook. Use that to target and make messages fitting the campaigns that hired them. This they did in Kenya, we got no idea to what extent, but clearly they have done their thing. Even the CEO has been proud about their activity. As the Kenyan government has hired the company and used their services.

There has been known that the company had connection with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), even as far the Commission own server was directly tapped by the government. While the Jubilee Party also used the affiliate Harris Media also to spread the messages and campaign agenda made by the Company, everything was elaborate and made to make sure the President got his way in the media. Even media companies was paid to make ready-made, microwaved articles to serve the public. Like dishes fitting the paradigm of the state. This isn’t just hearsay, it was the real deal. The Githeri Media was boosted and paid through the ranks of the Company. Cambridge was involved in everything, even wrote the speeches and notes that Kenyatta brought to the public. Clearly, the President Strategic Communication Unit (PSCU) was working directly with the Company making sure their stories was set straight.

This was done with precision and with full fury, they did it knowingly and misused their trust. This wasn’t just campaigning, but rigging with the mercy of American Company registered in the United Kingdom. With ICT Managers and hackers who took information and boosted the ruling regime. If this isn’t a massive theft, than nothing is. That the Cambridge Analytica would make sure and facilitate it this way. Shows how the company and their string-men are working to get their client fixed in position. That is maybe why US Ambassador Bob Godec has been such a loyal man to Kenyatta. Where he has worked for the benefit of the President and not for democratic values. They are not needed, when the President are spending on American Companies and using their products to extend his agenda. Even if that meaning rigging and a hostile takeover of the state.

If this isn’t investigated, if the ones behind the theft, the ones who has stolen a republic. The ones who has used manipulation, rigging and propaganda to benefit one man and his cronies. If that isn’t sorted out, the reality of it all will never matter. That Kenyatta got everything served, paid the Westerners a fortune and secured his victory, it was already Pyrrhic on 26^th October 2017, but now it is a blatant lie. Manufactured election with a tin-soldier running the show.

This isn’t fun and games, this is a killing, a kill of democracy and a kill of institution and a death-stroke to believe how the citizens been used to targets themselves in a ploy to reinstate their client. It is without mercy, without justice and without consent. It is just mere facade and forgery. Nothing else, its the worst sort of realization.

It deserves to investigated, by Scotland Yard, by someone from the outside to do it properly, a foreign investigation unit, who works independently and can take all evidence and affidavits. To unleash the truth, reveal the madness and not only the open air implications that are there. Put it in system, collect more than the leaks, but actually get the whole truth and than indict the ones culprits behind it all. Peace.

Opinion: Cambridge Analytica and Facebook – Time to connect the dots!

It’s time to wake-up and smell the coffee. It is time to kick-back and not be fooled by the mess. It has been a vindictive and outrage breach of trust between the social media company called Facebook, the Mark Zuckerberg has earned massive profits on speculative ads and destruction of democracy. While he has let political weaponized attempts of our digital imprints on his page taken by the Strategic Communication Laboratories and the infamous Cambridge Analytica. That has done shady business all around the globe, on every continent and has imprinted their campaigns of malice to the public.

The distorted view that this is fine and dandy, that a multi-millionaire, a guy Cenk Ugur ones said printed money. Robert Mercer, the millionaire backing President Trump and such, who has his stooges in around him too. That this guy’s ethical backbone, has been shown to world and what sort of affair it is. Clearly, they have misused and illegally collected personal information, I doubt only in United States, but all around the globe. As well, as Facebook has been paid to alter likes of pages, posts and whatnot from all the major political parties. All to create social media merit to the ones ruling the world.

Therefore, this all a collective scheme, where the data-breaches, where the personal information and the collected effort has undermined our system. Because we have trusted Zuckerberg, but also unknowingly let him trade away our social-media interactions to a third-party, which haven’t been sanctioned for their use of that. They have at the same time, used this information to hit key areas in elections, states and also ethnic groups, as well as the same backers has had PR campaigns, written speeches and made a whole package to secure the elections in certain republics.

In Kenya, the Cambridge Analytica, that has breached the data collection activity in the United States, could surely, done the same there. As they could have taken it, messed around it with it and then played the cards to secure the president. The company has even the server of the Electoral Commission (Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission). Therefore, they got all the tools to alter the narrative and the results in the favour of their contractor Kenyatta and the Jubilee Party.

The same can be seen with the DUP who both paid Facebook, but also paid Cambridge Analytica, even parts of the Brexit referendum campaign funds has gone to this. Therefore, they have used shady tricks and used malicious breaches of public trust, to build campaigns fitting the public.

This isn’t only a USA thing, even if this is shattering the gates of power, as they are involved, the ones close to the Trump Campaign, even the one time Campaign Manager Stephen Bannon was involved in the company in question, therefore, who knows what sort of data he has used for his methods and his help to get Trump elected. As well, as the leaks has proven the company even used honey traps to black-mail politicians and was proud of this. This isn’t campaigning, but is reality a special sort of scandal, where the mighty knights and their misuse of trust has been breached.

This isn’t just about social media, this is how it has been used and how the politicians, their benefactors and their donors has used to boost their campaigns, how they have hired in consultants that has taken private information, sorted it in brackets and made sure they could use it take advantage of the political climate. Make sure they had the right slogans, the right message and right PR. That they could use the social media to spin the news cycle and make sure the people got hooked. All of this in attempt to secure their client, the Presidents and President-Elect. The ones they was working for, using the details from the big-data, breach the networks and secure the foundation of a campaign. Where the people are running around like sheep providing all the details and the reconfiguring it and they spilling the beans. That has been done, time and time again, also that if it is possible. They have even made sure of the counting, the rigging of the ballots. So their client get elected through their circus, it doesn’t have to be legitimate, but they are playing shadow state through their computers and servers. Playing second fiddle, but being the king-maker nevertheless.

That shows the dire need for investigations, for suspending these sort of activities, stopping Facebook for delivering this information, if not get people to deactivate and kill of their profiles. So Cambridge Analytica cannot use their information for political campaigning, so they cannot steal the big-data and juice up either Trump or Kenyatta. This for profits, this for personal gain and we now know, that the innocence of Facebook is gone and the image CA had was false.

Cambridge Analytica was a hit-factory, they made hits online and in real life, made campaigns and prepared the whole package, they could even make the candidates and they could be empty shell of a person, they don’t even need a thinking mind. That is proven, that is worrying and the empty suits boosted by collecting social media without knowledge, is proving to a serious breach, a serious attack on the trust and can collectively destroy our trust in companies involved. We as consumers should move elsewhere, but where. Who else has a platform that works, that is what we have to find and make sure it is not used by third-parties to weaponized our digital imprint online. Peace.

Opinion: Fearing for the information Cambridge Analytica has on Kenyan Citizens!

Since it is now revealed how far the ICT Company and Campaign Monitor Company Cambridge Analytica went in the United States, where they analyzed and took information, collected and made sure to target the public, because of the information from 50 million United States Citizens. It is interesting because the connection the same company had in Kenya. They we’re hired and worked for the President. They worked for President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto. They we’re connected with the ruling pary Jubilee and also with the Electoral Commission. This being the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

There been found that the Cambridge Analytica was in-charge of IEBC Web-pages, who knows what sort of information the company has stalled through the registers and the gist of public details. If they have collected similar information on Kenyan citizens in the same ways as in United States. They have already done it one place the years before in 2015 and 2016, why not do the same in Kenya in 2017. That would be plausible.

“Our data came from the myPersonality Facebook application which I ran from 2007 until it ceased data collection in 2012. Users consented to their data being used in research and then completed a Big Five personality questionnaire which gave them feedback on their results. Over the five years of its operation the app collected data from approximately 6 million users. We examined Facebook Likes from a subset of approximately 60,000 American users” (Stillwill, 2018).

So with the knowledge of the extended survey and collection of data in concerning of the American Election, I am sure the same company has done similar efforts in Kenya. To get the right views and make sure they are on the measures they needed to be. If not, why where you working for Kenyatta and serving his party with information. Just like they did for the Trump Campaign so they could target areas and come with the sort of ads and click-bait stories to catch the people in doubt. This is why the company was hired in the first place, to make sure the political campaign hit the home-run in battle states in the United States. You can wonder what the same company planned, what sort of collection of data and how many of the Kenyan citizen’s on Facebook, which has been collected from. Since that is not known, also what sort of play and what information they got by having the IEBC Web-Page on their server.

“There are many different potential sources for the additional information that could have been used. It is plausible that Cambridge Analytica Ltd also have a psychographic model of Prof. Carroll and Prof. Golumbia, given that they claim to use psychographics in their political advertising. Alternatively, Cambridge Analytica Ltd may have based its predictions on any number of alternative data points, such as whether Prof. Carroll and Prof. Golumbia are a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), are known to have purchased a gun, etc” (Stillwill, 2018).

So it is hard know what they used the collected data in the 2016 Elections in the United States, but that they had it and target it to the public is fairly obvious. Therefore, to expect the same in the run-offs in the 2017 in Kenya, seems likely too. If not they wouldn’t been billing the state and the ruling party. They wouldn’t have been working and making adverts, and also campaigns for the President. That is clearly and also understandable. We can just wonder what sort of details the company has on the citizens of Kenya and what they used it for. What they got from the IEBC before they used the servers. There are many open venues, but non is disclosed. This should be investigated, as the privacy and the rights of the citizens are taken for granted. Which is never right. There are already FinTech companies who has to much information on Kenyan citizens. This comes in the same regard. Peace.

Reference:

Stillwill, Dr. David John – ‘Subject Matter: Section 7 DPA request (“Subject Access Request”) sent by Prof. Carroll to Cambridge Analytica Ltd, whose parent company is SCL Elections Ltd, on 17th February 2017’ (16.03.2018)

Kenya: IEBC – “The Commission wishes to notify the public that one of its ICT Managers was last seen on Friday night. Efforts being made to trace him” (30.07.2017)